


little game.

by ObamasCeilingFan



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Boy x boy, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Dealing, Drug-Induced Sex, Gang Violence, Graphic Depictions of Violence and Drug Usage, Heroin, I'm Sorry, Lashton - Freeform, M/M, Rough Sex, Smut, This Is Sad, illegal drug use, malum
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 18:20:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17606498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObamasCeilingFan/pseuds/ObamasCeilingFan
Summary: "you're raising suicidals with your pre-determined titles."or in which ashton can barely afford to live,calum can't live without being high,michael can't live without his probation officer on his back,and luke can't live without a crowd.





	1. एक

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we meet calum and michael, and michael's probation officer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi welcome! i wrote the first couple chapters of this two years ago so they are not in my best form of writing. please over look that, it gets better, i promise!
> 
> i've never been on probation (basically being arrested and then getting out of to jail early because of good behavior, then you're just watched by an officer) before so if you for some reason have, don't get pissy this is all made up? i took band instead of criminal justice okay

_c. hood/ december 12th, 2016/ 10:34 pm/ philadelphia, pennsylvania_

white noise. that's all that calum could hear whenever he was sober. his body buzzed with a fire like energy and his his head spun like carnival ride. that's why he was always high, to sooth these feelings, or at least that's what he told himself. you see, calum was an addict.  he couldn't go a few hours without something influencing his system. luckily for him his dealer, michael, was extremely reliable and calum never had to worry about not affording his cut. you see, he and michael had a great payment deal. sex for drugs, it was simple.

the maori boy walked up into the rundown apartment complex, and took the elevator to floor four, room three. he had messaged michael earlier warning him he was coming over, so calum just opened the entry door and walked in. to his surprise however, he was greeted with the sight of michael and a cop sitting on the couch.

"mr. clifford, who's this?" the officer questioned, looking over to the newest addition. michael stuttered, he had already been caught for this drug operation and was lucky enough to be let off with probation. if this officer found out calum was over for a deal, michael would get locked up and calum could too.

he spluttered out an excuse, "calum's my- my, boyfriend officer. calum's my boyfriend." he lied, looking into calum's eyes with a 'please just go along with it' look. the tan boy bit his lip, nodding along to what michael said. he was terrified.

the officer didn't seem convinced, "why haven't we been informed about you being two together?" he questioned further.

calum cut into the conversation. "we just got together, officer. we uh, prefer to be private." he said, forcing an innocent smile. the officer nodded, convinced by calum's words.

"well i expect to see you two together more often. mr. clifford, you're not off the hook but - i'll loosen up on you. i hope to be seeing more of you, caylum." he smiled stiffly at the tan boy, mispronouncing his name before leaving. when the door shut and the officer was out of sight both boys let out a breath that they weren't aware they were holding.

calum rushed to lock the door before he spun around glaring at the paler man, "what the fuck was that? why didn't you tell me there was a fucking cop in your house?" he whispered angrily.

michael leaned back into the worn leather couch, in attempt to distance himself from the angry maori. "i didn't know he'd come over! he just showed up out of nowhere!"

the tanner of the two closed his eyes, sighing, the sitting beside the other. "just - give me the drugs michael." he whispered, his hands shaking with a mixture of nerves, anger and withdrawals. the pale boy nodded, getting up from where he was sat and walking away. he came back a few minutes later, handing calum an orange pill bottle, a small bag of cocaine, and another larger bag of marijuana.

"you can just take them, asking you to lie to the cops is enough payment." michael said, watching the other boy snatch the bags from him and measuring out a line onto the coffee table. the tan boy filled his system with the narcotic, taking a moment to let the cocaine drip down from his nose into his throat, before getting up and struding over to michael.

"no, i came over here _expecting_ to get fucked. and you know how much i hate when my expectations aren't met." he responded, pupils blown wild and nose red.

 

* * *

 

calum let out a strangled moan as michael pressed down on his throat, dragging his lips up to his ear and whispering filthy sentences. "you're always such a needy slut aren't you? always coming here begging for a good fuck while you're stoned out of your mind? you probably don't even remember this when you sober up." he sucked a hickey below the tan boy's ear lobe, loving the shade of red he left on the younger's dark skin. "maybe i should fuck you so well you don't forget, want that baby?" he whispered, moving his hands to the boy's hips.

calum nodded, latching his arms around michael's back, whimpering out a, "yes mikey, please." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah first chapter i guess. so basically i'm going to do chapters in a pattern of MALUM/LASHTON/MALUM/LASHTON ect.


	2. दो

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> social media introduces new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! i also wrote this chapter a few years ago so this one is also not my best writing. it will get better and more detailed i promise!

l. hemmings / december 12th, 2016 / 5:48 pm / philadelphia, pensilvania luke leant against the cold wall, his eyes boredly looking around the room. he let out a reluctant sigh, pushing the girl away from between his legs. "listen meghan, i have class. maybe we do this later?" he questioned, lying straight through his teeth. the brunette got off her knees, wiping away the spit from her mouth. "my name's monica, you dick." she scoffed, dramatically grabbing her purse and exiting luke's dorm, not forgetting to loudly slam the door for added affect. luke groaned, rolling his eyes and hiking his jeans back up. he grabbed his phone from his bedside table and threw himself onto his mattress. this was his fourth attempt at a hookup this week, keyword 'attempt'. he couldn't "get it up" and it was both annoying and worrying to the teenager. he sighed, opening his snapchat application seeing the little notification that signified someone added him. "astroashton1994 has added you as a friend" ** ☹ ** it turned out that "astroashton1994" was an extremely kind boy that was attending the same college as luke. according to ashton, which luke had learnt was his name, he was majoring in psychology and a friend had sent him luke's snapchat saying he should add him. luke really enjoyed speaking with ashton, there was something about him that was compelling. ashton was kind, funny and attractive. or well, luke assumed he was attractive to women, because he was straight. totally no homo. the one thing luke really hated about talking to ash was the absolutely shit quality of the snaps he received. the pictures were weirdly coloured, pixelated and smaller than his phone screen. luke had just received a message saying that one of the fraternities were throwing a party, and as always, luke went. he had a reputation to keep up with and skipping parties was not apart of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was short.. because i wrote it a few years ago ... it gets better next chapter :')


	3. तीन

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> michael sees a side of calum he's never seen before, and feelings get hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, i just wanted to warn you that this chapter has a graphic description of drug usage and withdrawal symptoms... also i think i wrote the sex as pretty intense.. don't write when you're high...if you want to, you can skip this chapter; i'll summarise it in the end notes !

**_*BEFORE READING PLEASE READ THE BEGINNING NOTES*_ **

_december 13th, 2016 / 3:28 pm /_ _philadelphia_ _, pennsylvania_

the first thing he noticed when he awoke was the crisp light cutting it's way through michael's thin, black curtains. the next, was the pain, and how it felt as if his entire body had just been lit on fire from underneath his skin. he curled in on himself letting out an agonising groan.

michael startled awake, turning over to the other side of the bed with confusion. calum let out another pained moan and michael watched him, unsure of how to assist. he'd never woken up next to calum, let alone, seen him suffer withdrawals like this.

the red haired boy put a hand on calum's bare back,  feeling the heat and clamminess on contact. he took his other hand and hesitantly began carding it through the boy's tangled curls. "cal, baby, i need you to talk to me. what do you need?" he quietly and soothingly said, looking over calum's shaking body with worry.

calum's buried his face in the pillow, letting out a louder groan before stuttering out, "h. need h, mikey - please." the older nodded, getting out of bed as he went into his bathroom, leaving calum alone.

he was burning. every part of his body felt like it was being filled with fire, and he couldn't put it out. by now, the bed comforter had been kicked off too the side and calum's naked, sweaty body was laying out and exposed on the bed. he felt like he was crying, but he couldn't feel the tears. his lungs felt like they were being squeezed so tight, that they could burst any second; his arms itched as they screamed for relief, and after what felt like an eternity, michael returned with it in hand.

michael helped calum's shaking body sit up, then laid the contents before them. he handed the younger a belt from the floor, and placed the black crystals into the spoon he had grabbed from the kitchen. he then took a lighter from the beside table and began melting the thick black pool.

calum had finished tightening the belt around his thigh, when he looked up at michael, who was filling a syringe with the substance, before handing it off to calum who snatched it from his grip.

"this is new, right?" the younger quietly questioned, as he shakily lined the needle up on the back of his knee. michael nodded, watching calum's every move with focused eyes. "of course baby. just for you."

as he watched the needle press into the skin his stomach turned uneasily. michael had seen calum intake many drugs, but this was his first time witnessing the boy's usage of herion. he knew the boy used, becaused calum bought from him and he has seen the track marks countless times when they had sex, but there was something about _watching_ calum use that pained michael. heroin was one of the many drugs michael never dared to try. he knew how it affected his clients and because of that, he never risked turning himself into the monster that it made people.

before he could worry further, he was ripped from his train of thought when calum leant into him, and pressed a chaste peck onto his lips before shakily muttering, "thank you."  and pressing his sweaty forehead against michael's still bare shoulder, as he began waiting for the high to hit.

the older just nodded, bringing his hands up to softly card his fingers through calum's sweaty curls. it was all foreignly intimate, but neither felt that it was inappropriate. they sat like that for what felt like hours, before the quiet sound of keys and the door handle jiggling cut through the silence.

michael shot up, slamming his bedroom door closed and locking it, and as calum went to question what was happening, michael slammed their lips together and gripped at the maori's hips.

"going to eat you out, 'n i need you to be loud baby boy. can you do that for me?" michael whispered, before he leant down and began pressing wet kisses to the younger's neck.

calum let out breathy moan, "y-yes mikey."

the sound of the main door shutting was heard and michael tightened his grip on the tan skin. "louder." was all he muttered before spreading the thick thighs and lowering his head to where the younger needed him most. he dragged his tongue over the sensitive hole and smirked hearing calum let out a loud whine, just like he had asked.

calum's whiney moans were turning michael on, and if these were different circumstances, he probably would have been getting himself off to the sound of them, but he had to stay focused. as he listened to the sound of heavy footsteps approach his door, he could hear the sound of his locked doorknob jiggling. michael assumed his parole officer had decided to come by for another surprise meeting, and if he saw the heroin paraphernalia laid out on the bed, michael and calum would be fucked. without warning, he pushed his tongue into to the sensitive hole causing the younger to arch his back and gasp out, "god, keep doing that! love your tongue mikey, shit."

michael brought his hand up to the younger's hard cock, grasping it and rubbing at the tip, as he fucked into the other with his tongue, which emitted a deep moan of "oh _fuck_ , yes mikey."

he anxiously listened for the sound of a knock at his door or the lock being picked, but to his relief he heard the footsteps get quieter and then the sound of his front door shutting. he pulled off calum, and leaned up to press a hot kiss against the younger's lips.

"my god, baby. you get me so close to trouble." michael moaned into his mouth, emitting a whimper from the boy below him. "mikey please, i need you." calum begged loosely grabbing at michael's biceps in an attempt to keep him close. but, much to calum's dismay, he pulled away and begin cleaning up the evidence. 

calum continued to sit on the bed - splayed out, hard, and high - until michael pulled on a pair of basketball shorts and warned, "you better be gone when i'm out the shower."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okok so in this chapter, michael is woken up to calum suffering heroin withdrawals, and michael helps him out and supplies to him. after calum uses, the two share and intimate moment of just holding each other, but are interrupted by michael's parole officer coming into his apartment. there's heroin paraphernalia and michael's stash out and not enough time to hide it, so michael locks his bedroom door and gets calum off, which scares off his parole officer for a couple hours. but after his officer leaves, michael kicks calum out with no explanation. 
> 
> and thats all you've missed.


	4. चार

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ashton is tight on cash and desperately needs a new income source.

_a. irwin / december 15th, 2016 /_ _9_ _:47 pm / philadelphia, pennsylvania_

the sound of his doorbell buzzing ripped ashton away from the deep sleep he had fallen into only twenty minutes prior. he let out a quiet groan as he peeled his exhausted body from the lumpy couch. he walked over to the door, tugging it open and raising an eyebrow at the buff middle aged man who stood before him. "you ashton?" was questioned by his rough voice.

ashton bit the inside of his cheek, stepping further behind his door. "who's asking?" he timidly questioned.

the left side of the stranger's lip tugged up into a slight smirk, as he stepped his foot into the apartment. the stranger raised up the end of his shirt, revealing the handle of a black handgun sticking out from his pants. "i think you know who, pretty boy."

ashton slowly nodded, gulping down a lump that had appeared in his throat, and he stepped to the side, inviting the stranger into his home, despite his mind screaming warnings not to. once the man was behind ashton, he shakily turned around and shut the door.

the stranger looked around the dark living room, setting himself down onto the lumpy couch ashton was previously sleeping on. he looked over to ashton,  tilting his head, "well? are you you going to go get me the money or stand there like a dumbass?"

"i, uh, i don't exactly have all of it this month. and um, i can give you guys eight-hundred now, and get the- the um, other six by next time." ashton stuttered out, flicking his wide eyes down to his brown carpet. he heard the man's heavy footsteps approaching, and suddenly ashton's chin was yanked up to look at the taller man's angry face.

"xan doesn't do late. you're going to give me all the pathetic little cash you have and i'll be here next week to get the rest you owe us, plus half of next month's just 'cause you think you can be late. how about that, pretty boy?" he spat out, gripping ashton's face tightly in his calloused palms.

ashton bit his lip, there was no way he'd be able to get six hundred dollars by next week with the three jobs he was working currently. "and if you don't have it, i'll have you explain to xan yourself why you don't have the money." the stranger added, pressuring ashton further.

reluctantly, the shorter nodded and the stranger smiled, patting ashton's cheek. "good boy."

 

* * *

 

"that's your third cig' man, the fuck is up?" ashton was questioned by the boy on the balcony a couple feet across from him.

"money problems." was ashton's answer, as he took another inhale from the burning stick.

he expected that would be the end of the conversation, but the red haired boy let out a chuckle, taking a drag from his own cigarette and responded with, "shit man, i've been there. how bad?"

ashton let out a forced chuckle himself, shaking his head at the situation he had gotten himself into, "need to somehow make fourteen hundred by next week."

the red head across from him choked on his drag, "fuck man, our rent isn't even that high!"

ashton shrugged, "don't fuckin' know how i'm going to make it, man, but i'm absolutely fucked if i don't get it." he took a longer drag from his cigarette, leaning further into the rusty railing.

there was a drawn out moment of silence before his neighbor spoke up, "you go the uni here, right?" ashton nodded. "do you remember that time i asked you to hold onto a _package_ for me?" he nodded again. "would you, um, be interested in helping me with sales."

ashton looked up, locking eye contact with the other boy, "what exactly do you mean, mike?"

the red head glanced over to the neighboring balconies, seeing the only other person out at this hour was an old lady a couple apartments below them, who was not paying any mind to their conversation. he leant over his balcony in attempt to get closer to ashton and muttered, "i've got around twenty grams of cocaine i need gone really fucking soon. you need money and coke sells for about two hundred now, 'cause it's hard to come by. can you sell it off to people on campus?"

ashton gaped at his neighbor, he barely knew michael aside from their nightly rants they shared while they had a smoke. ashton knew of the drug moving that happened in the apartment across from him, but he'd never expected michael to speak about it. was he really asking ashton, a guy he also barely knew, to sell illegal narcotics for him? however, the more ashton thought about it, the more appealing the offer seemed. ashton really needed money and knew countless students who would love to buy cocaine to party with. after a prolonged moment, he asked, "how much will i be paid?"

michael's face pulled up into a sly smirk, "we'll split it fifty-fifty, a hundred for you and a hundred for me, per gram."

ashton bit his lip, standing up from where he was leaning on his railing; and putting out the small bit of cigarette left. "i'll be over in five."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this isn't really a lashton chapter oops.
> 
> but if you didn't completely understand this chapter, let me explain. basically, ashton is caught up in something (which i won't get into because it will be further explained later in the story) and owes these guys a lot of money, which has lead to ashton being broke and barely being able to gather money.
> 
> also his balcony neighbor is michael, if you didn't catch that.
> 
> okok i'm so excited to get into this, bye guys!


	5. पंज

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> questions go unanswered, and stories get told.

_m. clifford / december_ _27th_ _, 2016 / 7:42 pm /_ _philadelphia, pennsylvania_

for the third day in a row, michael and calum were cuddled up, post-fuck, quietly basking in the smoke of a joint. over the last few days calum had come by michael's apartment daily for a hot fuck and smoke session. michael had started inviting the other boy over, a week after he had kicked calum out, to which he still hadn't explained why.

it was silent in the foggy bed room, aside from the quiet sounds of breathing and the occasional almost silent sound of paper burning. michael watched the blissed out boy, who was laying on his chest, smoking a joint and tracing invisible patterns into his paler skin. his eyes traveled up from the tan finger tips, past the tattooed letters, down to the scarred and scabbing track marks that littered the tattooed arms.

it was rare that michael ever looked at calum's arms, due to them usually being covered by sleeves. he scanned over the bird tattoo, with the words _mali koa_ written beneath it. michael brought his hand down from where it was resting beneath his head, to point at the tattoo. "what's this mean?"

calum hummed, looking to what michael was questioning, "that? 's for my sister." he lifted up his hands to show off the letters between his thumbs, "and got these for my mum and dad." he added, looking up at michael.

michael let out a quiet "oh", drinking in the new information. there was a lot about calum he didn't know, like the fact calum had a sister. the more he thought about it, calum never actually spoke about his family, which was confusing since it seemed like calum was a family man; due to the symbolic tattoos. "are you close?"

he watched calum lazily shake his head and took a hit from the joint. "not anymore, we stopped talking after they had me hospitalized."

michael raised a brow and ran a hand through calum's messy curls, "you've been to rehab?" the other nodded.

"mhm. worst year of my life." he quietly giggled before continuing, "think i started using h when i was seventeen, i think? and when i first started i wasn't sure how much was too much, so one time when i was using alone i od'ed - mali they found me, and they took me in and got me clean." michael motioned for him to go on. "that's really it. a couple months after i was released i just left and moved here."

michael hummed, numerous questions filling his thoughts, he went with the shortest one. "why?"

calum rolled off of michael, and stared at the ceiling, finishing off the joint after another hit. "they stopped looking me in the eyes, barely spoke to me, told people i had spent the last year in fucking germany for boarding school." he stopped talking after his voice cracked with final sentence. michael watched his adam's apple bob as he swallowed down a lump in his throat. "do you have adderall?"

michael blinked, not expecting the random question. "i - um, yeah... how many do you want?"

"four."

"are you sure you can handle the crash?" michael questioned.

calum groaned, turning his head to look up at his supplier, "i'm not a pussy, mike, you know that." michael licked his lips, scanning his eyes over the other's boy's face. he really wasn't sure the other boy was in the right mentality to handle the inevitable crash of adderall, which would put the user into a depressive, hopeless, mental state within an an hour after the euphoric, energetic, high.

as if reading his worried thoughts, calum swung a leg over michael's body and straddled himself on top of the him. the tan boy leant his face down close to michael's, trailing a finger along michael's jaw, whispering, "i'm just tired mikey. i need them to give me some energy so you can fuck me 'til i'm crying."

and of course, michael listened to his body, instead of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eek my bad for being a little late with this chapter, and for it being short, i've been out partying and making bad choices  
> but wow i'll be seeing 5sos at the end of this week in seattle i'm so fUCKING excited !!


	6. छह

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> frat parties: where you meet new friends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall im so sorry to the three people who read this for updating so late, life has been r o u g h recently. i've been struggling with school, work, and running from the cops (not a joke #lovehowigotmyselfintothislife)
> 
> also i saw 5sos in seattle ( i was so clOSE TO MY AMORE UGH HE HAS MY WHOLE HEART I GAVE HIM THE BIGGEST SMOOCH)

_l. hemmings / december_ _27th_ _, 2016 / 1:41 am /_ _philadelphia, pennsylvania_ **  
**

everyone has fears. people will claim they don't, but the reality is : there's always something to be afraid of. whether it be something as small as a moth, or as big as the universe, there is something.

luke hemmings had many fears. the thought of spiders made his skin crawl, and the reminder of the corruption in his government gave him chills; but the idea of being alone was what he feared most.

there was a time in luke's life where he wanted to be alone. for months he separated himself from everyone close to him; and one night he locked his bedroom door and swallowed fifteen little white bars because he wanted to be alone eternally.

however, when he woke up in a hospital room, poked and prodded with all sorts of needles, then forced into "the _best_ recovery program in america" with other "at-risk" teens, luke realized he didn't want to be alone.

during his six months stuck inside that program he met a skinny maori boy flown in from new zealand, with scabs on his arms and dark circles under his eyes. they found comfort in each other's eventual friendship and mutual hatred for the program. luke was released months before his recovering friend was and hadn't spoken to him since. but he still has the matching shitty stick-and-poke tattoo on the inside of his left ankle that spelled out "wasted youth" in shaky letters.

when luke had returned to his normal life he made a promise to himself that he would do everything he possibly could have and keep friends. he hung out with the right groups, went to all the school games, listened to the music everyone else liked, dressed the way others did, and hooked up with whoever he could brag about.

then, when he went off to college, the cycle repeated. luke started out alone, he knew no one in the foreign city of philadelphia. however, he was smart, he knew how to read people. luke made himself likable to his assigned dorm mate, andy, met his friends, and went to all the parties he could cram between homework.

and that is how luke ended up where he was now: in the basement of a frat party staring at the sandy blonde haired man that was currently handing andy three little white bags. luke felt like his heart was beating loud enough for the random girl next to him to hear.

there was no way this, buff, drug dealing, _fucking_ _god_ of a man was the sweet, dorky, guy that luke would sit impatiently waiting for a notification from. but luke recognized that face, there was no way around it; unless there was some sort of twin or clone walking around and dealing drugs.

then, andy was calling luke's name, asking if he had a five on him, and the sandy haired, drug dealer's attention turned towards him.

 

* * *

 

it was later in the evening and somehow luke ended up sitting on a musty blue couch with ashton, waiting his turn to inhale a line that actually wasn't white, but a very faint shade of pink, when the man next to him leant in and admitted, "i didn't expect us to meet like this."

and honestly, luke didn't either. "you sell drugs?" luke blurted out, bouncing his foot anxiously to keep himself from shivering at how close ashton was to him. he glanced at ashton who was looking at him with a quirked eyebrow. "you buy drugs?" was his response. 

luke looked down in embarrassment, he was expected the brief exchange to end there when ashton spoke again, "it's not like i planned to... but we all have to make a living one way or another." and he was right. the economy's ineviable crash was another fear that subtly in the back of luke's mind. money is hard to come by, especially when you're thousands of dollars in debt to america's student loans.

ashton chuckled quietly, making luke realize he had spoken these thoughts aloud. "you're kinda political huh? i like that." though ashton may have meant it in a completely platonic way, luke couldn't help the faint blush that painted his cheeks, matching the narcotics on the table. 

before he could respond, andy called out luke's name to ask him if he wanted to take his turn. luke froze, on one hand, all his friends wanted him to join them in the fun. on the other, luke was terrified of the powdered material that stared up to him on the table. he nervously licked his lips, inhaled a sharp breath, and began to get up to move down to the table. however, before he could even get off the couch, he felt a hand lightly grab his thigh.

luke jolted, looking up to the person it belonged to; ashton. luke's anxiety filled eyes met ashton's concerned ones, and the latter leant in. this caused luke's heart rate to quicken, what the fuck was ashton doing? his question was answered when his face was a mere two inches from ashton's own. 

"you don't have to do it, if you don't want to." ashton muttered, his voice easily soothing the anxiety that pulsed through luke's veins. for the first time in a while, luke felt calm. looking into ashton's conforting eyes made all his worries slip away. not one thought of what andy might think if luke were to pass, or what the other friends might say about him being so close to another guy. 

so, he leant back into the couch, an unspoken way of letting the other users in the room know he would not be partaking in their fun today.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> family comes first ... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wattpad deleted this chapter which i have no idea why bc it was the LEAST explicit malum chapter yet, and i completely forgot what i wrote because i literally only write when i'm stoned so oops we're doing a different approach.

_m. clifford / december 30th, 2016 / 4:39 pm / philadelphia, pennsylvania_

michael was - as per usual - standing out on his balcony, smoking his second cigarette of the hour. he had just finished one of the most stress inducing house checks with his parole officer, who had been pouring out the bags of sugars and flour that michael had hidden the cocaine the week before. if ashton hadn't taken the narcotics off of him a few weeks prior, michael would have been caught and been hauled off to jail at this very moment. _god fucking bless ashton irwin._

his thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing from inside the house. michael ignored it, only for the device to begin trilling again, a few seconds after it had stopped. he made his way inside to answer it, seeing that the caller i.d. read calum's name. he answered it with a simple, "yeah?" only to be met with the sound of sobs ripping through the other line and a pained, "mikey?"

concern immediately settled itself in michael's stomach. "cal? what's wrong?"

another choked sob was heard, "you were right. fuck m-ichael, please. can you bring me something, a-anything. please." calum rushed out.

michael was already slipping on a pair of shoes, and grabbing his keys. "of course cal, just text me where to go, i'll be there soon."

a quiet "okay" was heard before the call was cut off, and michael rushed out the door and to the elevator.

****** **☹** ******

the drive to calum was filled with anxiety. the address he had sent michael was on the other side of town in the nicer housed part of the city. michael made a final left turn into a cookie cutter neighborhood with expensive duplexes and decorated lawns. as he pulled into the driveway of the third duplex on the street, he examined the building. the home on the left was still decorated with christmas decor and the one on the right was bare.

he pulled open the center console to pull out an orange pill bottle, before closing it; then making his way out the car and onto the right house's doorstep. he knocked twice before hearing a very faint, "it's open." being called out.

michael opened the door and stepped into the entryway and was greeted by the smells of cinnamon, pumpkin scented candles and a faint hint marijuana. a calming scent he could only describe as _calum_. he looked at the stairwell that greeted him and the two open halls that were in front and to the right of him. he cautiously called out, "calum?" to which was responded with a broken, "in here" spoken from the living room to his right.

when he entered the living room, he took in the sight before him. sitting on the floor, leaning against the foot of the couch, was the absolute mess that was calum. he was shirtless, and clad in dark grey sweatpants. his usual styled curls were now frizzy from being tugged at, and his face was red, tear stained and puffy.

michael let out a sympathetic sign, settling himself beside the distraught boy, and wrapped his arms around him. he felt calum easily lean into his embrace before whispering out, "did you bring something?"

michael hummed, reaching into his pocket to pull out the pill bottle from the car. calum looked at the bottle questionably, obviously wondering what it was. "it's xanax. i can't give you a lot but it should still calm you down."

he watched the younger nod, before he poured two bars into his palm then handing them over. calum dryly swallowed them down before asking, "why so little?"

michael set the pill bottle onto the glass coffee table, "they're prescribed, and they check how many i have daily so i can only give you what i'm supposed to take."

calum sat up and looked at the older in confusion, "mikey i can't take your meds!"

the older chuckled quietly, "it's not like you can give them back now. besides, you needed them more than me." he calmly brought his hand up to run his thumb over the smaller's puffy cheek. "what happened baby?"

calum let out a shallow breath before answering, "i can usually handle the crash, but it just hit me so hard today. i was in my head about my family, and i thought it wouldn't hurt to check up on them." he paused to clear his throat, "mali got married."

michael hummed for him to go on, soothingly rubbing his thumb into the tan skin on calum's stomach. "nobody bothered to tell me. she got married last year and i had to find out through fucking facebook." his voice cracked at the end of his sentence. "she had a massive fucking wedding with the entire god damn family there and nobody fucking told me."

the older felt something wet fall onto one of his fingers. he glanced down at calum's face again to see a single tear making it's way down his face. he hesitantly reached his hand up to wipe it away. "they're all assholes then. fuck 'em." he whispered, not sure how to correctly respond. he lightly brushed his thumb under one of calum's red eyes before continuing. "you don't need them cal. if they are the kind of people who ditch a family member for stupid reasons, you don't need them."

much to his dismay, this only drew a sob out of calum. michael slid his hand down from calum's cheek to his chin, lightly turning the younger to face him. "do you hear me calum? you don't need them." he whispered, emphasizing the last phrase.

the tan boy swallowed, letting out a shaky breath before resting his forehead against michael's shoulder. the room was peacefully still for a few moments, the only sound to be heard was their out of sync breaths. this was all broken, however, when calum delicately pressed his bitten lips against the warm skin of michael's neck, leaving a chaste kiss. his head remained upon michael's shoulder, face burrowed in the crook where neck meets shoulder. calum quietly whispered, "thank you." and michael didn't need to respond for the younger to know it was no problem.

_____

okay so i know im late with the update, sorry

i guess i just don't have any real reason to really put a lot of effort into this story because it's not being read. plus i only write it when i'm down which is what it is

that's that i guess

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i know im late with the update, sorry
> 
> i guess i just don't have any real reason to really put a lot of effort into this story because it's not being read. plus i only write it when i'm down which is what it is
> 
> that's that i guess

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading, and i hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> feel free to comment anything or just start a discussion! also it'd mean a lot to me if you left some kudos! 
> 
> stay safe and remember every moment matters, so make the most to enjoy it <3


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